Justin Edwards Player Stats: Kentucky Freshman Heats Up
Heralded Freshman Starting to Deliver For Wildcats
Justin Edwards
Justin Te’jon Edwards
Kentucky Wildcats1
20 years old (12-16-2003)
6 ft/8 in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
SF
Few college basketball players faced as much early scrutiny as Justin Edwards. The Kentucky Wildcats expected big things from their prized recruit and he delivered. But then he hit a cold spell that saw his playing time and stats diminish.
Edwards is bouncing back and is coming off a breakthrough game against Alabama, scoring a career high 28 points on 10 for 10 shooting. His only miss in the game came from the foul line, where he made 4 of 5. The Justin Edwards player stats aren’t quite what were expected. But he’s given Kentucky good reason to believe they’re going to get better.
High School Career
Edwards played high school basketball for Imhotep Institute Charter High School. He helped the Panthers to the Class 5A Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state titles in his junior and senior NCAAB seasons. The Justin Edwards player stats show he averaged 17.9 points and 7.5 rebounds as a senior. He was named Mr. Pennsylvania Basketball.
Edwards was viewed as a 5-star recruit and one of the top 12 players in the nation. In addition to Kentucky, he had offers from college basketball teams such as Kansas, Villanova and Tennessee. A
fter giving some thought to playing in the NBA G League, Edwards elected to sign with the Wildcats. Kentucky announced his arrival at the school on June 5, 2023, as he joined a stacked Wildcat recruiting class.
Freshman Season
Edwards started out strong, with 28 points in the Wildcats’ first two NCAAB games against New Mexico State and Texas AM-Commerce. But he scored just one point in Kentucky’s loss to Kansas. Edwards bounced back, averaging 10.5 points over the next four games, as Kentucky was on the right side of the NCAAB scoreboard all four times.
But a 4 for 14 shooting night in an inexcusable loss to NC-Wilmington saw his playing time get cut. The NCAAB betting odds had Kentucky -18.5 over Wilmington.
Edwards scored more than 10 points just once over the next 12 games. He hit a low point with no points and just nine minutes played in Kentucky’s 63-57 win over Arkansas.
He set a then career high with 17 points against Vanderbilt two games later and played 29 minutes in an 89-85 loss to Gonzaga. Edwards scored 12 points against Mississippi the next game, but was in single digits the next two contests.
Following Kentucky’s loss to LSU, the Wildcats hosted a tough Alabama team and Edwards had the game of his career. In addition to his 28 points, the Justin Edwards player stats show five rebounds, two assists, two steals and no fouls or turnovers in 29 minutes. It was the game the Wildcats had been waiting for all year.
For the season, Edwards’ college basketball stats are showing a scoring average of 8.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He has 23 steals and 23 turnovers, while being whistled for 57 fouls.
Edwards is shooting 48.9% from the field and 35.4% from 3-point range. He’s also been solid from the foul line, hitting 76.2% of his free throws. Edwards is averaging 22 minutes per game in Kentucky’s guard-heavy rotation.
For NCAAB betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
